Low carbon transition

Since the late 20th century, the notion of sustainability has become common knowledge in any urban-related debate and beyond. Despite that the transition toward an environmental, social and economic fair society is far from being a straightforward exercise. One fundamental aspect of the success of urban policies lays in creating more radical ecological politics: through socially inclusive, environmentally just and economically sustainable measures This include investing public funds for universal low carbon energy access, avoid greenwashing and reducing consumption. It can go further, through re-engineering the public sector’s interventions in relation to shared management of common goods and natural resources as alternative to wild privatization. But how can cities contribute to this? Our lab will focus on these issues at the URBACT Summer University and key questions include:

How can cities enable new socio-political opportunities for low carbon transition?

What are the capacities needed to improve and shape low carbon transition including private/public sector as well as social movements and individual actors?

How cities deal with economic pressure, financial crisis and the demand for socially just energy production and decreased consumption?